DOCSLIB.ORG

Eros As First Philosophy: the Amorous Foundation of Ethics

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Eros As First Philosophy: the Amorous Foundation of Ethics Eros as First Philosophy: The Amorous Foundation of Ethics Author: Tyler Viale Persistent link: http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:107699 This work is posted on eScholarship@BC, Boston College University Libraries. Boston College Electronic Thesis or Dissertation, 2018 Copyright is held by the author. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Eros as First Philosophy: The Amorous Foundation of Ethics Tyler Viale A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the department of philosophy in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Boston College Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Graduate School January 2018 © Copyright 2018 Tyler Viale !i Eros as First Philosophy: The Amorous Foundation of Ethics Tyler Viale Advisor: Richard Kearney, Ph.D. Abstract: This dissertation addresses and then attempts to further what could be called the “French” Phenomenological tradition and its developments of a phenomenology of eros in dialogue with—and often as a response to—older Platonic conceptions of eros.1 Eros, I show, had a foundational role in Plato’s ethics; becoming ethical was dependent on first having an erotic encounter with beauty. However, this connection between love and ethics has been frequently abandoned in 20th-century philosophy. I argue that this move, a side-effect of the development of a philosophy of alterity, was ultimately founded on faulty assumptions about the nature of love, as well as its connection to the good and the beautiful. For that reason, after first elucidating the concerns raised regarding an ethical eros and the reasons for the denial of love’s foundational role, I establish a definition of eros that can once again play the same role as Plato saw for it while simultaneously addressing the 20th century’s concerns about alterity and the recognition of the Other. Re-establishing this role requires arguing for three key theses: 1. Recognition of the Other is based on recognizing his or her beauty and goodness 2. Love of the Other is love of the Other as individual, not in light of some attribute 3. Love of the Other forms the basis of our entering into the ethical attitude. 1 The title ‘French phenomenology’—widely used—is a misnomer, as many figures, including several large figures, are not ethnically French, or even necessarily Francophone. Shulamith Firestone, included in this work, was an English-speaking Canadian raised in the United States, however, her usage of Beauvoir’s work puts her in the same intellectual tradition. Nor are all those included even properly called phenomenologists, if by that we mean in the lineage of Husserl. Gabriel Marcel, for example, uses the word phenomenology, but had seemingly no direct familiarity with Husserl’s work (he had some knowledge of Heidegger’s), and is more often classified as an existentialist. !ii Combined, these theses build towards an ethical eros in two senses. First, they show that eros itself is an ethical relationship, which will be defined as an encounter with the Other structured by signification (the reasons for this definition will be made clear when I examine Levinas’ ethics). Second, the erotic encounter with one beautiful Other (which may or may not lead to a response of love) leads to the development of an ethical disposition toward all Others. In the dissertation, these theses are developed against the background of existing views about eros, in order to show their necessity, as well as to explore the reasons why they have so far been denied. Part I, “Platonic Eros,” therefore, is an in-depth reading of eros from the Platonic point of view, as seen primarily in the Symposium and Phaedrus. Part II, “Impossible Eros,” picks up on Plato’s failing to recognize the alterity of the Other and begins a critique of Plato from that point, carried out by a variety of early philosophers in the French philosophical tradition, including Jean-Paul Sartre, Jacques Lacan, and Shulamith Firestone. Part III, “Unspeakable Eros,” is a direct response to Part II, dealing primarily with Emmanuel Levinas and Jean-Luc Marion. Part IV, “Ethical Eros” is the conclusion of the dissertation, in which I argue that love can once again take on its role, assigned to it already in Plato, as the basis of ethics. !iii TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................................1 §1: Love Languages ..................................................................................................................2 §2: What’s love got to do with (it)? .........................................................................................11 §3: General Outline ................................................................................................................14 PART I: PLATONIC EROS: DESIRE AND THE EROMENOS ....................17 CHAPTER 1: LOVE IN THE DIALOGUES ...................................................17 §1: Cultural and Pederastic accounts of eros .........................................................................20 §1.1: The defense of pederasty in the Symposium ............................................................21 §1.2: Critique of Pederasty ................................................................................................25 §2: Explanatory accounts of Eros ..........................................................................................29 §2.1: Natural Eros ..............................................................................................................30 §2.2: Divine Eros ................................................................................................................35 §3: Socratic accounts of Eros: Kalon and the Other .............................................................42 §3.1: Socratic Eros I: The Symposium ..............................................................................44 §3.1.1: Eros’ Parentage ..............................................................................................................45 §3.1.2: Birth in Beauty ..............................................................................................................50 §3.1.3: The Final Mysteries .......................................................................................................54 §3.1.4: Alcibiades’ inversion ......................................................................................................55 §3.2: Socratic Eros II: The Phaedrus .................................................................................56 §3.2.1: The Four Mania ............................................................................................................58 §3.2.2: The Charioteer Myth ....................................................................................................59 §3.2.3: The Movement of Eros .................................................................................................61 CHAPTER 2: PLATONIC EROS .................................................................66 §1: The Kalon ........................................................................................................................66 §2: The Individual ..................................................................................................................73 §3: A Final Interpretation ......................................................................................................78 §4: The Stakes ........................................................................................................................83 INTERLUDE 1: A NOTE ON METHOD ...........................................................85 PART II: UNETHICAL EROS: THE FAILURE TO CONSUMMATE ............88 CHAPTER 3: THE FAILURE OF LOVE .......................................................88 §1: The Failure of the Lovers .................................................................................................92 §1.1: Some Clarifications ...................................................................................................93 §2: Love’s Separation From the Best Life ...............................................................................97 §2.1: The Best Life and Love’s Offer .................................................................................99 §2.2: The Lover’s Empty Promise ....................................................................................102 §2.3: The Best Life and Sexual Difference ......................................................................107 §3: Non-mutual Love ...........................................................................................................114 §4: Unfixable Love ...............................................................................................................118 CHAPTER 4: THE FAILURE OF SEX ........................................................123 §1: Some Preliminary Remarks ............................................................................................124 §2: Naive Otherness and Objectification ............................................................................128 §3: Sexual Difference and Otherness ...................................................................................132 §4: Jouissance, Desire, The Good and the Beautiful ............................................................138 §4.1: Beauty’s Divorce ......................................................................................................139
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Faraone Ancient Greek Love Magic.Pdf
    Ancient Greek Love Magic Ancient Greek Love Magic Christopher A. Faraone Harvard University Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England Copyright © 1999 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America Second printing, 2001 First Harvard University Press paperback edition, 2001 library of congress cataloging-in-publication data Faraone, Christopher A. Ancient Greek love magic / Christopher A. Faraone. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN 0-674-03320-5 (cloth) ISBN 0-674-00696-8 (pbk.) 1. Magic, Greek. 2. Love—Miscellanea—History. I. Title. BF1591.F37 1999 133.4Ј42Ј0938—dc21 99-10676 For Susan sê gfir Ãn seautá tfi f©rmaka Æxeiv (Plutarch Moralia 141c) Contents Preface ix 1 Introduction 1 1.1 The Ubiquity of Love Magic 5 1.2 Definitions and a New Taxonomy 15 1.3 The Advantages of a Synchronic and Comparative Approach 30 2 Spells for Inducing Uncontrollable Passion (Ero%s) 41 2.1 If ErÃs Is a Disease, Then Erotic Magic Is a Curse 43 2.2 Jason’s Iunx and the Greek Tradition of Ago%ge% Spells 55 2.3 Apples for Atalanta and Pomegranates for Persephone 69 2.4 The Transitory Violence of Greek Weddings and Erotic Magic 78 3 Spells for Inducing Affection (Philia) 96 3.1 Aphrodite’s Kestos Himas and Other Amuletic Love Charms 97 3.2 Deianeira’s Mistake: The Confusion of Love Potions and Poisons 110 3.3 Narcotics and Knotted Cords: The Subversive Cast of Philia Magic 119 4 Some Final Thoughts on History, Gender, and Desire 132 4.1 From Aphrodite to the Restless
    [Show full text]
  • PHIL 269: Philosophy of Sex and Love: Course Outline
    PHIL 269: Philosophy of Sex and Love: Course Outline 1. Title of Course: Philosophy of Sex and Love 2. Catalogue Description: The course investigates philosophical questions regarding the nature of sex and love, including questions such as: what is sex? What is sexuality? What is love? What kinds of love are possible? What is the proper morality of sexual behavior? Does gender, race, or class influence how we approach these questions? The course will consider these questions from an historical perspective, including philosophical, theological and psychological approaches, and then follow the history of ideas from ancient times into contemporary debates. A focus on the diversity theories and perspectives will be emphasized. Topics to be covered may include marriage, reproduction, casual sex, prostitution, pornography, and homosexuality. 3. Prerequisites: PHIL 110 4. Course Objectives: The primary course objectives are: To enable students to use philosophical methods to understand sex and love To enable students to follow the history of ideas regarding sex and love To enable students to understand contemporary debates surrounding sex and love in their diversity To enable students to see the connections between the history of ideas and their contemporary meanings To enable students to use (abstract, philosophical) theories to analyze contemporary debates 5. Student Learning Outcomes The student will be able to: Define the direct and indirect influence of historical thinkers on contemporary issues Define and critically discuss major philosophical issues regarding sex and love and their connections to metaphysics, ethics and epistemology Analyze, explain, and criticize key passages from historical texts regarding the philosophy of sex and love.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Marriage and Families Across Time and Place M01 ESHL8740 12 SE C01.QXD 9/14/09 5:28 PM Page 3
    M01_ESHL8740_12_SE_C01.QXD 9/14/09 5:28 PM Page 2 part I Understanding Marriage and Families across Time and Place M01_ESHL8740_12_SE_C01.QXD 9/14/09 5:28 PM Page 3 chapter 1 Defining the Family Institutional and Disciplinary Concerns Case Example What Is a Family? Is There a Universal Standard? What Do Contemporary Families Look Like? Ross and Janet have been married more than forty-seven years. They have two chil- dren, a daughter-in-law and a son-in-law, and four grandsons. Few would dispute the notion that all these members are part of a common kinship group because all are related by birth or marriage. The three couples involved each got engaged, made a public announcement of their wedding plans, got married in a religious ceremony, and moved to separate residences, and each female accepted her husband’s last name. Few would question that each of these groups of couples with their children constitutes a family, although a question remains as to whether they are a single family unit or multiple family units. More difficult to classify are the families of Vernon and Jeanne and their chil- dren. Married for more than twenty years, Vernon and Jeanne had four children whom have had vastly different family experiences. Their oldest son, John, moved into a new addition to his parents’ house when he was married and continues to live there with his wife and three children. Are John, his wife, and his children a separate family unit, or are they part of Vernon and Jeanne’s family unit? The second child, Sonia, pursued a career in marketing and never married.
    [Show full text]
  • Lesbian and Gay Music
    Revista Eletrônica de Musicologia Volume VII – Dezembro de 2002 Lesbian and Gay Music by Philip Brett and Elizabeth Wood the unexpurgated full-length original of the New Grove II article, edited by Carlos Palombini A record, in both historical documentation and biographical reclamation, of the struggles and sensi- bilities of homosexual people of the West that came out in their music, and of the [undoubted but unacknowledged] contribution of homosexual men and women to the music profession. In broader terms, a special perspective from which Western music of all kinds can be heard and critiqued. I. INTRODUCTION TO THE ORIGINAL VERSION 1 II. (HOMO)SEXUALIT Y AND MUSICALIT Y 2 III. MUSIC AND THE LESBIAN AND GAY MOVEMENT 7 IV. MUSICAL THEATRE, JAZZ AND POPULAR MUSIC 10 V. MUSIC AND THE AIDS/HIV CRISIS 13 VI. DEVELOPMENTS IN THE 1990S 14 VII. DIVAS AND DISCOS 16 VIII. ANTHROPOLOGY AND HISTORY 19 IX. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 24 X. EDITOR’S NOTES 24 XI. DISCOGRAPHY 25 XII. BIBLIOGRAPHY 25 I. INTRODUCTION TO THE ORIGINAL VERSION 1 What Grove printed under ‘Gay and Lesbian Music’ was not entirely what we intended, from the title on. Since we were allotted only two 2500 words and wrote almost five times as much, we inevitably expected cuts. These came not as we feared in the more theoretical sections, but in certain other tar- geted areas: names, popular music, and the role of women. Though some living musicians were allowed in, all those thought to be uncomfortable about their sexual orientation’s being known were excised, beginning with Boulez.
    [Show full text]
  • Eros, Storge, Phileo, and Agape
    Eros, Storge, Phileo, and Agape INTRODUCTION II. Storge Love is ambiguous in the English language. A. This is natural affection—family, kin, the There is “Strawberry Shortcake Love.” We love humblest of loves. We love each other simply cats, dogs, and ice cream. This is trite and with- because we are of the family. B. It is negative in Romans 1:31 and 2 Timothy out depth or permanence. There is “Aunt Minnie 3:3, used regarding homosexuals. Love” which is reserved for “special” people C. It is used in withdrawal in 2 Timothy 3:14, 15. who are sweet and lovable. Sometimes it is con- Withdrawal is not excommunication, put- descending. There is “Bowling Team Love” for ting one out of the church. It is what it says, “buddies” in a reciprocal way. Moderns do not withdrawal of fellowship. zero in on “Tough Love.” So there is a Greek word study. However, the III. Phileo Bible is not learned in a seminary; it is learned A. This is tender affection and brotherly love. out on the street with people in local work. (Philadelphia is the city of “brotherly love.”) Footnotes will not preach. Also, the Bible must B. However, sometimes we make too clear a not be reduced to word studies. You can get so distinction between phileo and agape. Be care- ful. There are surprises. Read Titus 2:3, 4; far out on a limb looking at a leaf you forget the Romans 12:9, 10; 1 Corinthians 16:22; He- tree. Word studies can be helpful, but they can brews 13:1; John 16:27; and 1 Peter 1:22.
    [Show full text]
  • Metamorphosis of Love: Eros As Agent in Revolutionary and Post-Revolutionary France" (2017)
    University of Central Florida STARS Honors Undergraduate Theses UCF Theses and Dissertations 2017 Metamorphosis of Love: Eros as Agent in Revolutionary and Post- Revolutionary France Jennifer N. Laffick University of Central Florida Part of the History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the UCF Theses and Dissertations at STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Undergraduate Theses by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Recommended Citation Laffick, Jennifer N., "Metamorphosis of Love: Eros as Agent in Revolutionary and Post-Revolutionary France" (2017). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 195. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses/195 METAMORPHOSIS OF LOVE: EROS AS AGENT IN REVOLUTIONARY AND POST-REVOLUTIONARY FRANCE by JENNIFER N. LAFFICK A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Honors in the Major Program in Art History in the College of Arts and Humanities and in The Burnett Honors College at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Spring Term, 2017 Thesis Chair: Dr. Margaret Zaho ABSTRACT This thesis chronicles the god of love, Eros, and the shifts of function and imagery associated with him. Between the French Revolution and the fall of Napoleon Eros’s portrayals shift from the Rococo’s mischievous infant revealer of love to a beautiful adolescent in love, more specifically, in love with Psyche. In the 1790s, with Neoclassicism in full force, the literature of antiquity was widely read by the upper class.
    [Show full text]
  • Psychoanalytic Conceptions of Marriage and Marital Relationships 381 Been Discussing, Since These Figures Are Able to Reanimate Pictures of Their Mother Or Father
    UNIVERSITY OF NIŠ The scientific journal FACTA UNIVERSITATIS Series: Philosophy and Sociology Vol.2, No 7, 2000 pp. 379 - 389 Editor of series: Gligorije Zaječaranović Address: Univerzitetski trg 2, 18000 Niš, YU Tel: +381 18 547-095, Fax: +381 18 547-950 PSYCHOANALYTIC CONCEPTIONS OF MARRIAGE AND MARITAL RELATIONSHIPS UDC 159.964.28+173.1+340.61 Zorica Marković University of Niš, Faculty of Philosophy, Niš, Yugoslavia Abstract. This work disclusses marital types and merital relationships as by several psychoanalysts: Sigmund Freud, Annie Reich, Helene Deutch, Knight Aldrich and Bela Mittelman. It analyzes kinds of relations hips, dynamics of interaction and inner mechanisms of interaction.Comparing marital types of the mentioned authors it can be seen that there is agreement among them and that they mainly represent further elaboration and "topic variation" of the basic marital types which are discussed by Sigmund Freud: anaclictic and narcissistic.Also, it can be concluded that all analysed marital types possess several common characteristics: 1. they are defined by relationships in childhood with parents or other important persons with whom a child was in touch; 2. dynamics of partner relationships is defined by unconscious motives; 3. same kinds of relationships and same type of partner selection a person repeats in all further attempts in spite of the fact that it does not give satisfactory results. Key words: psychoanalysis, marriage, partner, choice, relationships According to Si gmund Fr e ud , the founder of psychoanalysis, marital partner choice, as well as marital relationships, are defined much before marriage was concluded. Relationship with marital partner is determined by relationships with parents and important persons in one's childhood.
    [Show full text]
  • Philosophy of Love and Sex Carleton University, Winter 2016 Mondays and Wednesdays, 6:05-7:25Pm, Azrieli Theatre 301
    PHIL 1700 – Philosophy of Love and Sex Carleton University, winter 2016 Mondays and Wednesdays, 6:05-7:25pm, Azrieli Theatre 301 Professor: Annie Larivée Office hours: 11:40-12:40pm, Mondays and Wednesdays (or by appointment) Office: 3A49 Paterson Hall Email: [email protected] Tel.: (613) 520-2600 ext. 3799 Philosophy of Love and Sex I – COURSE DESCRIPTION Love is often described as a form of madness, a formidable irrational force that overpowers our will and intelligence, a condition that we fall into and that can bring either bliss or destruction. In this course, we will challenge this widely held view by adopting a radically different starting point. Through an exploration of the Western philosophical tradition, we will embrace the bold and optimistic conviction that, far from being beyond intelligibility, love (and sex) can be understood and that something like an ‘art of love’ does exist and can be cultivated. Our examination will lead us to question many aspects of our experience of love by considering its constructed nature, its possible objects, and its effects –a process that will help us to better appreciate the value of love in a rich, intelligent and happy human life. We will pursue our inquiry in a diversity of contexts such as love between friends, romantic love, the family, civic friendship, as well as self-love. Exploring ancient and contemporary texts that often defend radically opposite views on love will also help us to develop precious skills such as intellectual flexibility, critical attention, and analytic rigor. Each class will be devoted to exploring one particular question based on assigned readings.
    [Show full text]
  • Marriage in Christ Seminar Follow up Gatherings
    Marriage in Christ Seminar Follow Up Gatherings 1 Contents Simple Instructions ......................................................................................................................... 3 Ordinary life in Christ: “It’s about the little things.” ...................................................................... 4 Protecting Unity by Negotiating Differences ................................................................................. 5 Thinking the Best: Part One ............................................................................................................ 7 Thinking the Best, Part Two ........................................................................................................... 8 The Story of Mother Gerda ............................................................................................................. 9 2 Simple Instructions Schedule about 1 – 1½ hours Gathering Opening prayer Food and conversation o Simple, e.g., potluck, dessert and coffee, wine and cheese, simple brunch, etc. o Sharing about how things have gone for the past several weeks. Share bright spots Highlights of the last week or two Changes that have occurred over time Break into discussion groups o Read the discussion topic (topics can be found on the alumni page of the website) o Discuss the questions Get back together o When do we want to meet next? o Agree to keep praying, talking and acting in your marriages Final Prayer 3 Ordinary life in Christ: “It’s about the little things.” As God's chosen ones,
    [Show full text]
  • Access Control and Operating System
    Outline (may not finish in one lecture) Access Control and Operating Access Control Concepts Secure OS System Security • Matrix, ACL, Capabilities • Methods for resisting • Multi-level security (MLS) stronger attacks OS Mechanisms Assurance • Multics • Orange Book, TCSEC John Mitchell – Ring structure • Common Criteria • Amoeba • Windows 2000 – Distributed, capabilities certification • Unix Some Limitations – File system, Setuid • Information flow • Windows • Covert channels – File system, Tokens, EFS • SE Linux – Role-based, Domain type enforcement Access control Access control matrix [Lampson] Common Assumption Objects • System knows who the user is File 1 File 2 File 3 … File n – User has entered a name and password, or other info • Access requests pass through gatekeeper User 1 read write - - read – OS must be designed monitor cannot be bypassed User 2 write write write - - Reference Subjects monitor User 3 - - - read read User process ? Resource … User m read write read write read Decide whether user can apply operation to resource Two implementation concepts Capabilities Access control list (ACL) File 1 File 2 … Operating system concept • “… of the future and always will be …” • Store column of matrix User 1 read write - Examples with the resource User 2 write write - • Dennis and van Horn, MIT PDP-1 Timesharing Capability User 3 - - read • Hydra, StarOS, Intel iAPX 432, Eros, … • User holds a “ticket” for … • Amoeba: distributed, unforgeable tickets each resource User m read write write • Two variations References – store
    [Show full text]
  • Research Purpose Operating Systems – a Wide Survey
    GESJ: Computer Science and Telecommunications 2010|No.3(26) ISSN 1512-1232 RESEARCH PURPOSE OPERATING SYSTEMS – A WIDE SURVEY Pinaki Chakraborty School of Computer and Systems Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi – 110067, India. E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Operating systems constitute a class of vital software. A plethora of operating systems, of different types and developed by different manufacturers over the years, are available now. This paper concentrates on research purpose operating systems because many of them have high technological significance and they have been vividly documented in the research literature. Thirty-four academic and research purpose operating systems have been briefly reviewed in this paper. It was observed that the microkernel based architecture is being used widely to design research purpose operating systems. It was also noticed that object oriented operating systems are emerging as a promising option. Hence, the paper concludes by suggesting a study of the scope of microkernel based object oriented operating systems. Keywords: Operating system, research purpose operating system, object oriented operating system, microkernel 1. Introduction An operating system is a software that manages all the resources of a computer, both hardware and software, and provides an environment in which a user can execute programs in a convenient and efficient manner [1]. However, the principles and concepts used in the operating systems were not standardized in a day. In fact, operating systems have been evolving through the years [2]. There were no operating systems in the early computers. In those systems, every program required full hardware specification to execute correctly and perform each trivial task, and its own drivers for peripheral devices like card readers and line printers.
    [Show full text]
  • Abstract of 'Platonic Participation'
    1 Abstract of ‘Platonic Participation’ The Republic presents us with a standard account of the Theory of Forms, especially in the discussion of the difference between knowledge and opinion. But we also get in the Republic the only passage in the Platonic corpus that gives some sort of reasoned account of what is meant by participation, I mean the analogy of the Sun. A feature of this analogy is that, properly taken, it answers one of the criticisms of participation that Parmenides levels against Socrates in the Parmenides . The Republic also gives, in other places, an account of how forms and particulars can be said to be like each other that answers Parmenides’ criticism based on the likeness regress. For this reason, as well as for several others, the chronological division of the Platonic dialogues into early and middle and late should be rejected, and the Parmenides should not be read, as scholars do now read it, as posing problems for the Theory of Forms given in the Republic , but the Republic should be read as giving answers to the problems posed in the Parmenides . But while the Republic successfully answers criticisms from Parmenides in the Parmenides , it does not answer, and cannot answer, criticisms from Aristotle in the Metaphysics . This is because the Republic is distinctive among Platonic dialogues in talking, and talking at length, about particulars as participating in being and not just as participating in the beautiful or the just or the like. For while some sense can be made of speaking of participation in the just or the beautiful, no sense at all can be made of speaking of participation in being.
    [Show full text]